Thursday, May 31, 2007

Horribly small pics I know....this is the house where I lived from 1952 until 1962 when I married for the first time at 16. The top pic taken in 1952 is of my dad, my aunt Marcella holding my brother, my mom and me acting all hot with a candy cigarette. In the bottom pic taken in 1958 are my brother, mom and me looking sour as usual.

It was a small house with only one bathroom. My bedroom was in the very back and was originally a screen porch. It had a door that opened onto the patio. Came in handy for sneaking out to meet the guy that would become my first husband.

My dad started a kitchen renovation in 1963 and never finished the job...nor the paneling in the hallway, tiling the bathtub or painting the living room and bedrooms. He did manage to cover all of the windows in my bedroom with cherry paneling....don't know the thought process behind that decorative move. He also cemented in the area where there are roses in the front of the house leaving 12 inch holes for the bushes. The awnings came down eventually and the chimney collapsed in an earthquake in the late 70's. That created the closing off of the fireplace with cement blocks. The garage shifted during that quake as well and the door wouldn't open...so my dad just cut a man door into the big lifting door and presto...access.

My brother has lived in the house since my mother passed away. The last time I was actually in the house was the week after we buried my mom. My brother had taken down the Italian antique painting of Our Lady on the Serpent that had been over the couch for years and replaced it with a H.U.G.E. framed glossy of the Three Stooges. Ass****. I found the painting outside in the patio. My kids helped me move all of the family antiques from the house...and my brother was glad to be rid of the "junk." The painting went to my second cousin.

Whenever we visit California.....every time...I make Steve drive by the house.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Thursday, May 24, 2007

My daughter arrives this afternoon. The top pic is her senior yearbook picture. The one above was taken a few years back at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Isn't she lovely? Whenever I look at pictures of her or see her I am astounded that I am her mother and that she is so accomplished, talented and beautiful... she absolutely did NOT get any of these qualities from her father's gene pool so it had to come from mine but past generations. We will have four days together and while I don't have anything planned, we will be busy I know. The last time she was here there was only Wallie WonderWorld but, as my friend Molly pointed out, now we have a Home Depot so we can shop til we drop. Kiss, kiss my sweet little girl.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Yesterday was a blogger nightmare.....we had a powerful thunderstorm...computer off.....storm passed....computer on......storm back....and on and on. Then when I finally got back on line blogger wouldn't let me make any comments. I was not recognized no matter who I said I was.....so I will catch up today. Missed all of you. PS 94 people voted for me yesterday. Only the other unopposed candidate got more votes...he got 96!! Hum, wonder who I ticked off? A special thank you to Gina who started me on the path to trusteehood. Love you Gina.

Friday, May 18, 2007

This is Gina posting on Rosemary's blog to see if the fix I made for her comments really worked. And....the answer is yes! She can delete this post if she wants to. I just needed to test it out.

This is rosemary posting on her blog. Isn't Gina brilliant? I get so frustrated when stuff like this happens. I am sure it was an easy fix for Gina but not for me. I can imagine how I would get if I had a really snazzy blog with all the bells and whistles...and high speed! I think I wouldn't have a blog. kiss, kiss Gina The first problem was....there is a link when I am writing a blog that says post options. When that is clicked there are comment options that show...somehow the do not allow comments was marked although I have NEVER messed with that....and something else that is Gina Einstein stuff...she could explain it I just know she fixed it. I have not messed with anything on this blog so it is totally blogger's fault with their upgrade stuff. So there.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Yesterday I wrote a post about home. kenju commented and asked if I would take a few pictures of the vistas I wrote about. Not needing an excuse to get out, the girls and I got in the car yesterday afternoon and took a few pics for kenju and everyone else to enjoy. It was a bit hazy because of the dust from my tires and there were a number of slash piles burning as well, but I think the beauty of my valley can still be seen.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Most of the time I take where I live for granted. I wake up and I am in the house we built, on the 16 acres we chose, trees all around, squirrels wheezing outside...and I go about my day just like I did the day before. The sun comes up...then it goes down and as long as there isn't snow in the forecast I am content to repeat, repeat, repeat.

We take the dogs for short rides most days. They enjoy hanging their heads out the side windows getting dogie slobber everywhere...it is our pleasure to watch them, ears flapping, drawing in the smells of the forest and barking at phantom animals.

I took them out early this morning but rather than go the usual way on all paved roads, I took a detour and drove along a dirt/rock road that meanders through the valley where we live. It was quiet, no one else pleasure driving when gas prices are at $3.32 a gallon.

There it was, all right in front of me stretching out for miles and miles.....North Idaho. There were snow capped mountains to the west, wild green pastures along the road, the forest filled with trees reaching to a sky that was the bluest of blue, and air filled with the oh-so-amazing-scents of country living....cows, fields with hay rolls, horses, the special smell of freshly turned earth. How. Sweetly. Simple.

Sounds too idyllic....but it is just that. As I pulled into our drive that feeling of home was wonderful and new. If I am nothing else, I am a bitch and a whiner. But for today I will be happy here at home knowing that I am truly living in God's country, that I have been blessed with my surroundings, that I woke up in a beautiful place, and all is right with nature. Tomorrow...umf...we'll see.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

I am in a mood...it has been coming on for about a week now....I knew it..remember when I told you? It has arrived.

I am overly organized, obsessive compulsive in a lot of ways. I clean every day...stuff needs to be in the right place, clothes put neatly into drawers, I get irritated when my blog doesn't space right or the comics are crooked.....lots of stuff just irritates me. At the moment the label thing is the irritant... I need to re-label my blogs and now.....or at least soon.

Then I was in the Crown Room, Sophie was having her mid morning snack at my feet, Mimi was scratching at the door and I could hear Violet whimpering for some reason...you know peaceful moments. I was reading from TIME about one of the 100 most influential people....a blogger in China who posts about oppression...and here is a quote from the article (written by Arianna Huffington...remember her?) Blogs are by nature very personal - an intimate, often ferocious expression of the blogger's passions......intimacy creates an unusually close bond between blogger and reader.So, I ask? Am I passionate about my blog, do I have an unusually close bond to my readers and me to my blogroll friends? You tell me the answer to the first part of the question and I will tell you yes absolutely to the last part......I love all of my blogroll friends, read them every day and have told them/you more stuff than maybe even Steve.

What does all of this mean? Beats the hell outta me....I just want to fix my labels, read blogs, blow my nose, clean the house, straighten Steve's office a little, fight oppression, be passionate and get out of this mood. What good is catharsis if I can't cough up a hairball?

Friday, May 11, 2007

Just to explain....I was way too close to the bears when I took the picture of the one up the tree. I had the door open so I could get back into the house fast, but I honestly don't have a clue how fast the bear could run if it really wanted to get me....so I was not being smart. I won't do that again and Steve has yelled at me for misbehaving.

We are partly at fault for the bears coming back. We didn't have any bird feeders out, but there were seeds in the squirrel feeders the first night they came through. Steve takes corn out for the deer every morning and we also fill the feeders...the bears do not like corn at all but seeds are another issue. We usually stop filling the feeders before the bears arrive, but the last 2 years we have not done it in time.....so, our fault....partly. Several neighbors store their trash outside in either cans or just put the bags in open garages...bears love garbage and the stinkier the better. So, at night when we are not shotgun pumped and ready to cracker their butts, the bears do their route and get into garbage and feeders. Last night it was quiet....hopefully everyone has seen them and they went somewhere else to annoy people. Yesterday afternoon however, I was in our fenced garden when the babies leisurely walked through the yard shopping. They looked, I stood still and then they went on their way.

As for the pets....the kitties only go out into the playpen for the time being when we are downstairs; otherwise the door is closed. The dogs? Well, Penelope will chase the bears and usually the bears would take off...but this family I am not so sure would run. So, we peek out the door and window before we let them out as Violet would be a nice appetizer for them and Penny would just make them mad I am afraid.

The bears lived here long before we did and we try to respect that and not tempt them or do anything to endanger ourselves...but this group is a new kind of bear.....either really hungry or ticked at us for living in their forest.

Fuzzie on the pillow and Drake looking at me. They are in the "playpen" that Steve made for them. It is a wood frame with wire on the sides and top. We butt it up against the slider screen and I cut a kittie door so they can go in and out. They will stay out most of the day unless the 3 bears come over for porridge.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Here is one of the new members of the family. This is a little bear. This bear has a sibling of the same size...they are the two that showed up the first night. Now that I have seen them with my glasses on and up close...way too close...they are yearlings. How do I know that? Sandy made a comment yesterday about a momma bear. Mom showed up yesterday afternoon. She. Is. HUGE. She is a dark cinnamon color but is still considered a black bear. Anyone care to take a guess how frightened any of these bears are of humans? Not one little bit. I was up close and way too personal when I was taking pictures, the bear climbed down, took the stance in the next picture and then climbed up the tree again. Was there anything in the feeder? That would be no. Four cracker shots later by Steve and the bear s l o w l y ambled up the trail. Came back as soon as we closed the door to just sit under the tree.. It's gonna be a long summer.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

This is last year's bear...we didn't name her/him. Better to not get attached to bears. This isn't a really good picture either...sorry. I would update the pic to show this years bears (yes, plural) but they showed up at 3:08 this morning and I just didn't have time to grab the camera and take a family photo. Darn.

Sorry.

Steve got up because he somehow heard something outside even with his gas mask on and the CPAP whooshing away. Penelope managed to miss the sound. Steve hissed at me "Honey, get up; come here." And I did and there they were.....two little black bears rolling around the few fallen seeds under the north and east trees having a great time mangling the suet baskets and laying on their backs just looking oh-so-cute.

They are small bears so they are probably two year olds. The three bears from hell we had a few years back would be much bigger by now and they stayed really close to each other and were not fun loving.

It is not a good idea to encourage bears to have fun in our yard, so Steve in his undershorts got the shotgun out, tiptoed to the balcony door, opened it ever so quietly and let go of two cracker shots both aimed beautifully at the babies. ......at 3:10 in the morning. I can promise you we will be in the police blotter in a few days ..."Shots fired in the area of Blah Road at 3:10AM." He also managed to scare the one closest to the house so badly it went straight up the tree and it stayed there while the other one looked at the house and got ready to charge at us. When the second shot went off out of the tree and up the path to annoy the neighbor's dogs baby black bears went. They are cute....what do you think of Jack and Jill? Fred and Ethyl? Romeo and Juliet?

Sunday, May 06, 2007

I've got nothing much for today......but that guilt thing if I don't blog nags at me.....so...

We are mowing the lawn (probably 2 acres) today...first mow of spring.

I might sweep the garages...might.

Friday I got my lab work back that was supposed to be done in March but was drawn when I saw the doc last week when I thought I was dying....get ready because this is great news.

At my worst point my cholesterol was 251 and my triglycerides were off the chart so nothing else could be read.

Now? Cholesterol 216 (would like it under 200), LDH 135 (would like it below 1oo), HDL 45 YIPEE, and triglycerides 180 (would like them below 150). While not perfect I have made really good progress and when I talk to the doc tomorrow I bet he thinks so too. I am really proud of myself. I have lost another pound and a half...the last 10 are always the hardest. But, now that the weather is good I can ride my bike, we can walk more, work in the garden and eat more fruit! I am really pleased.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

I hope I didn't offend anyone...I was nervous about the tag thing...I had declined one in the past because I am basically boring. I just don't know how bloggers feel about being asked to post personal stuff. After I posted, Lorraine commented and I thought...wow someone really interesting wants a tag...so I added some names. Actually, I would love to read about everyone on my blog roll....I doubt anyone is going to admit to being an ax murderer or George Bush. I hope you all know I love you and the highlight of every day is reading your blogs.

UPDATE: I CHANGED MY MIND AND TAG THE FOLLOWING FRIENDS AS WELL AS CHANDLER:

Lorriane, Jan, Rook's Nest, Sling and Gina......Tag you're it! If anyone else reading this wants to pick up the tag...go for it. I just don't know how folks feel about this type of posting.....so I was being very conservative!

Joan of The Erstwhile Librarian tagged me and I have to come up with 10 interesting facts/habits about me. Ten is a lot...I am not all that interesting. It is called Chinese Freeze Tag.....so here goes.

1. I can read, eat, watch TV and have my iPod on all at the same time.....and I can tell you what I read, what is happening on the TV show, and what I was just listening to. Multi-tasking!

2. I have never smoked; never, not ever wanted to, not even to look totally cool when I was in high school.

3. I am a horrible cook. I am not cooking creative, don't like to bake and most of all I don't like the clean up involved with cooking.

4. The best job I ever had was at the Library. I spent years in school so I could be an R.N. only to find my bliss in the stacks.

5. I have had 3 sports cars...I loved them, drove them way too fast and would dump my SUV in an instant if I thought I could have another sports car in Idaho...not going to happen however.

6. I can't dance. I can keep a beat, have a good sense of rhythm, but can't follow...I want to lead and end up making a mess of my partner's feet.

7. I vacuum, dust and wash my floors every day but Sunday...on Sunday I dust window sills, my fazxillion nic nacs and super clean the bathrooms.

8. Spiders scare the bejeezus out of me and there are a ton of them in Idaho...no poisonous snakes here but really, really scary spiders....hobo's, violins and other big hairy crawly things.

9. I was the Duncan Yo Yo champion in eighth grade....for my school district (parochial and public schools).

10. I wish I had enough money to travel the world in a style I could easily become accustomed to. I would take my kitties and doggies with me and we would all have the time of our lives.

Pretty much all of my blogger friends have been tagged by someone and I can't come up with 10 people....but....I have one really new and interesting friend that I think is worth visiting and getting to know...... so, I tag Chandler.

I Am

An old grey haired woman with a brunette mind....71 is the new 45 isn't it? I was a beautician, a Registered Nurse, a Library Tech. I am a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
We moved to North Idaho in 1998; our last big adventure. It has been a dream come true, a challenge and a time to reflect.